Script Topics

SCRIPT REVISIONS

Final Draft's Revision Mode is a really great tool, but I rarely see writers who really know how to use it. Sadly. As a UPM, you should know how to use this tool now that the script is in Productions' hands. It is your responsibility to ensure it is maintained and correct (regardless if you hire someone else to actually do it). Revision mode allows you track those changes and communicate to the crew clearly.

With the script openly editable in Final Draft, revision mode allows notations to be made to show what's changed from version to version. Traditionally, the printed note is an asterisk (*) on the right side of the page, per each line that was changed. On the computer screen, the text can also change color (or if you are printing on a fancy color printer). So, let's say you have checked the script 100 times and numbered it - what do you do now?

LOCKING THE SCRIPT

The first thing you'll want to do once you have the script to a production friendly, completed state is "lock the pages". There is functionality in Final Draft to do this, but what it is doing behind the scenes is locking the text on a given page to always be on that page. If another scene is added, a line changed or deleted - it will adjust to always have the original text on page 87 always be on 87. When a scene is added to page 87, the text below the newly added text is slid not to page 88, but to 87A. This keeps page 88 intact. This makes issuing pages easier. For example, if you omit a scene that was 3/8 page that 3/8 will now simply show as a blank area. Without locking the pages, the scenes after your omit would move up into that void. You don't want that once the script is ready to be used for production.

MAKING REVISIONS & PAPER COLOR

Traditionally, revisions are marked on the right side of the page with an asterisk (*). In Final Draft, there is a function to allow you to track which version of the script introduced which revisions. This is great because you can go back and see just a certain set of revisions and it allows the crew to keep tabs on things too. The industry has adopted an order to the colors of paper used to visually identify a new revision. This is helpful for crew knoing that we are all using the white version of the script, and if someone sees blue pages - they know those are new. Here's the typical color sequence:

White

Blue

Pink

Yellow

Green

Goldenrod

Violet

Salmon

...then, repeat with white again.

Some people use alternate colors, switch the order or skip colors altogether. Whatever works for you, or is mandated by a studio is what you should do. Simply be consistent.

Also, be sure to change the top header information on revision pages so people know there too that a page is new.